Roundel Articles

One of the second-tier issues with Louie, the 1972 2002tii I bought last February in Louisville and road-tripped home, was the heater box. It was as non-functional as a heater box could be and still occupy physical space in the car.

By now it should be all over: By the time you read this, the auction will have come to an end, and one lucky and well-heeled bidder will have scooped up my temptation, all because I am mortgaged to the hilt and could not raise the money to refinance a hamburger.

Forgive me for postponing the piece on Louie’s heater box again, but this is just too good. After getting Louie the 2002tii home from our insane road trip together, the big sort-out items were the exhaust, the heater box, and the windshield-gasket replacement.

Miracle of miracles! My sanity is saved! Well, it’s safe at least until the kids become teenagers, when karma will unleash its pent-up fury upon my existence. But for now, I am no longer solely responsible for chauffeuring the two kids.

Last week, I had removed Louie’s rusty resonator and muffler and was about to hang my pretty new Ansa “standard” exhaust when I realized that with the resonator out, I really should drop the driveshaft and giubo and replace the leaking transmission selector-shaft seal.